INTD 397 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Cultural Turn, Dependency Theory, Modernization Theory

• School: McGill University
• Department: International Development
• Course: INTD 397
• Professor: Takamura

Document Summary

Factors explaining economic variation: historic factors: colonial legacies, structural factors: core-periphery relations (dependency theory, market factors: free market economy (neoliberalism, state factors: state institutions (developmental states, cultural factors: human development. Cultural paradigm (cultural turn) in development discourse since the 1990s. Essential shift from culture as an inappropriate variable to culture as a significant resource to explain economic outcomes. Emergence of nics (taiwan, hk, korea, singapore) in the 1980s. This theory is majorly supported by opponents of modernization theory. Western model is not the sole path for economic growth. Importance of local culture in affecting development outcomes. Two main debates in cultural paradigm: affinity between culture and economic growth (cultural affinity position, interaction of local values with development policies (inclusion of local voices, and local culture in development projects, participatory approach, cultural affinity position. Basic idea: something inherent in certain cultures in terms of achieving better economic performance. Theoretic roots: max weber (1905) the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism.